Paperwork error lifts judge’s license suspension

COLUMBUS – Perry County Judge Dean Wilson’s driver’s license suspension after he was accused of an OVI hit-skip incident has been lifted because of untimely filing of paperwork, explained Jon Saia, Wilson’s attorney.

Along with criminal charges, Wilson had been facing a license suspension in connection to an Aug. 31 incident in which he allegedly crashed a black Mercedes into a public bus in downtown Columbus.

Saia said the paperwork needed to place a driver’s administrative license on hold must be filed by law enforcement officials within 48 hours of the offense. The necessary paperwork was not filed until Sept. 4, Franklin County Municipal Court records show.

Wilson pleaded not guilty Monday morning to OVI and hit-skip and demanded a jury trial in the criminal matter, Saia said.

According to a Columbus Division of Police report, Wilson was westbound on Spring Street in a black Mercedes when he changed lanes and struck the bus around 9:30 p.m. Aug. 31. There were no injuries reported. A Columbus police helicopter aided in the search for the vehicle, and Wilson was found 12 miles away on Interstate 70 eastbound near Brice Road, the report said. Wilson, 60, of Roseville, refused breath and field sobriety tests, according to police reports.

A judge has not been assigned to the case, and Saia said he does “not expect a trial any earlier than December.”

Wilson is hearing cases in Perry County Court. Law licenses are under purview of the Ohio Supreme Court. If a judge is indicted or signs a bill of information in connection with a felony, the judge is disqualified from acting while the case is pending. No similar provision exists for a misdemeanor offense, said Bret Crow, public information officer for the Ohio Supreme Court.